P&O Ferries Launches New B2C E-Commerce Site Based on hybris

London – 29 January, 2015: hybris software, an SAP company and the world’s fastest-growing commerce platform provider, today announced that P&O Ferries, the UK’s leading ferry company with award-winning services linking the Britain with France, Belgium, Holland and Ireland, has launched its new B2C website which was built on and is supported by the hybris Commerce Suite.

The new‐look ‘Tourist portal’ is live in Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France the UK. The portal allows P&O Ferries to quickly and easily upload promotions and special offers and to provide more efficient booking processes across the five languages. In addition to this, the newly implemented hybris Commerce Suite also supports the crucial call centre elements of the business and will include a fully incorporated, feature-rich mobile version of the site.

Approximately 10 million passengers (and their 1.7 million are tourist vehicles) use the services of P&O Ferries over the course of a year. With a 175‐year heritage, the company is one of the ten most recognised travel brands in the UK. The move to a new commerce platform and website coincided with a major investment by the company into two new state-of-the-art ferries on the Dover-Calais route.

“Turnover from our B2C operations makes up almost half of P&O Ferries’ annual revenue,” outlined Janette Bell, Commercial Director of P&O Ferries. “Considering that the majority of these ‘Tourist’ bookings are made through our website, which can handle an average of 2,000 booking transactions per day, it was essential for us to find a commerce platform capable of supporting our large and increasingly growing volume of customers while allowing us to deliver a highly engaging and personalised experience to meet the high standards that our brand represents and that our customers expect.”

The hybris Commerce Suite’s omni-channel capabilities will enable the company to dramatically accelerate its time to market and to provide its customers with a more engaging, dynamic and seamless experience – regardless of the device or channel used to interact with the brand. Later phases of the project will focus on the roll-out of more sophisticated features, including provisions for mobile bookings and online shopping, as well as support for the company’s extensive commercial operation through a B2B commerce facility.

“P&O Ferries has built its reputation on the quality of its service,” commented Rob Shaw, Global Vice President General Business at hybris software. “It has a strong vision for the future which is centred on better interaction with its customers across multiple touchpoints and at every stage of their journey, from booking through to shopping in the on-board. We are delighted to be part of this journey and to deliver an omni-channel platform that will give P&O Ferries the opportunity to provide even better customer service whilst at the same time driving revenue from the new website.”

The implementation of this significant project was managed through hybris partner, Portaltech Reply.